Dhootha, a brand-new Prime Video original, is a supernatural thriller about a corrupt journalist Sagar Varma and the said journo was targeted by a phenomenon. Journalists like him were being forewarned about the imminent deaths of their families through newspaper clippings. Several deaths have occurred over many decades and it reached Sagar Varma, because he had claimed to be an ethical journalist but seems to have succumbed to many profit-making practices in the editorial room.
Spoilers Ahead
Season One’s ending was a revelation for Sagar Varma as well as ACP Kranti Shenoy. Their grandparents were known to each other and were connected through a tragic history. Several crimes were carried out two generations ago, and Sagar and Kranti tried to work around them and make sure history was not repeated by their generation. His grandfather was one of the first victims of the deaths foretold by newspaper cuttings, and this was followed by many others killing themselves. Kranti, on the other hand, belonged to the political family that was murdered had their deaths passed off as suicide.
Sagar decided to confront his past and make sure this curse did not follow him or his wife, Priya. He discovered Priya was a corrupt journalist herself who might become a victim of these newspaper cuttings that have driven him crazy. Sagar demolished the printing press churning out these clippings so that Priya and their unborn baby remained safe. Sagar goes through a change of heart and finally pursues something he hadn’t considered a week ago. He plans to offer a job to the grandson of senior journalist Satya Murthy, who was killed by his grandfather. Sagar agrees to be a keynote speaker at the young boy’s college in the hope of confronting the corrupt politician whose grandfather orchestrated the mass murder.
As a part of the commencement speech at the college, Sagar goes all gun blazing, criticizing the political party that his newspaper had promised to support as the show had begun. He kills the minister to deliver a message that the cycle of corruption could be ended if the media chooses to not bow down to the rich and powerful. The media is reduced to just a messenger for the political party, and he intends to put an end to this arrangement by killing the said politician. Sagar was given a life sentence but was hoping for an early release. Priya is back with him and their child and is expecting some positive results on the bail front. Kranti is offered a task force to deal with cases concerning supernatural elements in the hope more cases emerge and the police can provide a decent conclusion to them.
Season two will most likely have Sagar coming out on bail or being granted an early release. Since Sagar resigned from his previous post, he will either begin a new publication that could focus only on crimes and corruption, or he will intend to question the status quo instead of falling into the traps of pursuing advertising money that would generate a lot of revenue. His wife Priya might not be aware of his knowledge about her corrupt practices, and she will go back to her old ways of covering stories with no empathy for the crowd’s suffering. This might cause a clash of ideologies between the couple and lead to a nasty breakup or separation.
While Priya would be busy working for a high-profile newspaper or television channel, minting money off the lies fed to the people, Sagar might suffer a setback because of his honest approach. Priya most likely does not understand the reason behind Sagar’s adamant behavior because she was not the one who head-on faced the horror of the newspaper clippings. Those cut-outs terrorized him, and he plans to steer clear of experiencing them ever again. Sagar this time might have Kranti by his side, allowing him to grow and supporting his venture with everything she can.
The printing press, which was laced with the spirit of senior journalist Sathya Murthy, will likely be reinstated by the family of politicians who were killed by Sagar at the end of season one. The family would want to avenge the death by torturing Sagar and his family. By reinstating the old printing machine, the person would unleash havoc not only on Priya but also on other corrupt journalists all over the country, just like before.
The death toll might increase, and there might be a call to end the tyranny. Corrupt journalists should be taught a lesson, but death is not the solution, something Sagar and Kranti would agree with. Priya might die due to the newspaper clippings that would overwhelm her, just like they did with Sagar in the first season. Sagar will have to take the mantle of ending the havoc and destroying the core of the machine in the hope that the object is not reassembled and utilized for selfish reasons. Sagar might be the hero everyone will look up to who saves the community of journalists’ from getting decimated by the vengeful spirit.
ACP Kranti, on the other hand, would be inundated with cases regarding supernatural deaths. She might have a hard time separating which cases are genuine because people who approach her are naïve and gullible. The case filers would expect her to provide solutions to their doubts regarding the deaths. Kranti will have a hard time, but she will eventually seek balance. There could be a mature romance between Sagar and Kranti, and this could close the bridge between two families who did not have good relations two generations ago.
Kranti could be helping Sagar with the details of the investigation inside and outside of her jurisdiction to support him, and there might be a genuine fondness between them. With Priya out of the picture, Sagar might seek comfort in Kranti for professional and personal help. This could be a result of the guilt forming in him because of his grandfather’s role in murdering her family members. Both would soon want to put it behind them and lay it to rest so that their futures are not haunted by it.
Initially, there was a good vs. evil narrative taking over until Sagar understood his duty to the profession he had chosen. The same trope would be a major part of this second season, as it would be easy to differentiate between the person carrying out the right kind of deed while the others are used to being on the negative side of the spectrum. The law of karma caught up with Sagar because of the deed done by his grandfather, and the same phenomenon would work in this show as there would be many who would pay for the crimes they committed. E.g., Priya, along with a bunch of people who support her kind of journalism.
Hopefully, the makers of Dhootha will expand on the supernatural phenomenon and other kinds of paranormal activities that might be affecting people. This would prove that the makers would be interested in exploring other themes in the same genre, which might get carried forward in the third season as well.
